Pea vs Lentil - Health impact and Nutrition Comparison

Introduction

We use many legumes very often and even daily. Legumes are truly an ancient food. From the ancient times legumes have been a staple food for many cultures. Two of them that we use not daily but very frequently are the peas and lentils. They are very similar to each other but at the same time very different. The most common use of them is cooking. There are many receipts where we use peas or lentils and they give a unique taste to them.

Nutritional Content Comparison

They both are very useful. If compare them, pea is 3.5 times richer in vitamins. But lentil is 7 times richer in minerals. It is lower in saturated fat and contains less sugar and also it is lower in sodium. The foods are relatively equal in glycemic indexes. They both don’t contain cholesterol. If we compare the macronutrients, lentil contains relatively more protein and more carbohydrates. They contain an equal number of fats. They are very low in calories and contain no fat.

Health Impact

Peas and lentils are perfect legumes to use. They are not only tasty, but also are very useful. They have many health benefits.
Firstly, about the benefits of peas:

• Stomach cancer preventionx
  A study in Mexico City showed that only 2mg of peas per day can prevent stomach cancer.
• Anti-aging and strong immune system
  Thanks to the high level of antioxidants in it, it can improve our immune system, give energy to our body and have anti-aging impact.
• Blood sugar regulation
  It slows down how fast sugars are digested.
• Heart disease prevention
  It reduces homocysteine levels which cause heart disease.
• Healthy bones
  It contains Vitamin K which helps to anchor calcium inside the bones.
• Reduces bad cholesterol
  It helps to reduce the production of triglycerides and VLDL which result bad cholesterol.

Not less benefits have lentils.

• Lower cholesterol
  Thanks to the high level of soluble fiber, lentils reduce blood cholesterol
• Heart health
  Lentils contain folate and magnesium, which take a great role in heart health.
• Digestive health
  Several studies have shown that lentils help prevent digestive disorders.
• Blood sugar regulation
  As the peas, lentils also stabilize blood sugar level.
• Increases energy
  Due to its complex carbohydrates, lentils give slow-burning energy.
• Weight loss
  Studies state that lentil-based diets decrease hypertension and large-artery remodeling.
• Decreased hypertension

SUMMARY

Peas and lentils both have many useful features and both are likely to be used. It is difficult to differ which one is better and more useful. Pea is richer in vitamins, but on the other hand lentil is relatively richer in minerals. They both are good and both have different features. Every person should choose which one is better for himself/herself due to its features. But as I have already mentioned, they both are likely to be used.